The Second Post in the 2026 Lenten Series
The Bible says that humans were created by God in His likeness on the sixth day of creation. We now know more about how we humans actually came into being.
Here is the description from AI:
Human evolution is a complex process spanning approximately six to seven million years, beginning when the human lineage split from a common ancestor shared with modern chimpanzees in Africa. Rather than a straight line, our history is viewed as a “braided stream” or a tree with many side branches, where multiple human species lived, intermingled, and sometimes interbred.
Major Stages of Evolution
Scientific evidence generally organizes human evolution into four primary stages:
Proto-hominins 7–4 million years ago Earliest evidence of bipedalism (walking on two legs) and smaller canine teeth.
Australopithecines 4–2 million years ago Habitual bipedalism; small brains (similar to chimps); lived in Savannah environments.
Early Homo 2.5–1.4 million years ago First frequent use of stone tools; initial increase in brain size.
Advanced Homo 1.9 million years ago – Present Migration out of Africa; use of fire; significant brain expansion; development of language and art.
Key Evolutionary Milestones
• Bipedalism (c. 6–4 million years ago): Walking upright was one of the earliest defining human traits, freeing the hands for other tasks.
• Tool Use (c. 3.3–2.5 million years ago): The earliest stone tools appear in the record, with Homo habilis being one of the first species to modify stones into tools for tasks like cutting meat.
• Migration Out of Africa (c. 2–1.8 million years ago): Homo erectus was the first human ancestor to migrate in large numbers out of Africa, spreading into Eurasia.
• Brain Expansion & Fire (c. 2 million–400,000 years ago): Increased meat consumption and the invention of cooking provided the energy needed to fuel dramatic brain growth.
• Symbolic Culture (c. 100,000–50,000 years ago): Modern humans began creating art (cave paintings), using complex language, and developing elaborate cultural diversity.
The Rise of Homo sapiens
Anatomically modern humans emerged in Africa approximately 300,000 years ago. While earlier theories suggested we evolved from a single population in East Africa, current evidence suggests we descended from several different populations across the continent that occasionally mixed and swapped genes.
• Interbreeding: As Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa roughly 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, they encountered and interbred with other archaic human species, such as Neanderthals in Europe and Denisovans in Asia.
• Sole Survivors: By roughly 17,000 years ago, Homo sapiens became the only surviving species of the once-diverse human evolutionary tree after other lineages, like H. neanderthalensis and H. floresiensis, became extinct.
• Biological Variation: Modern human physical variations, such as skin color and body structure, are the result of long-range adaptations to differing environments worldwide
Hey, anything worth doing often takes a while, right?
What stands out most for me is how we Homo sapiens are a mere blip on the screen. Does anyone really think that our time in the sun will last forever? Also keep in mind that our planet has been in existence for about two billion years and has a billion more to go before our sun becomes a red giant and eliminates all life on Earth. And also remember that there have already been five mass extinctions in our history. The last one occurred 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs (except for the birds) all got wiped out making the way for us mammals to evolve and flourish.
And finally keep in mind that with nuclear weapons we now have the capacity to wipe out life on the planet as we know it and to facilitate the Sixth Great Mass Extinction. What are the chances that there will be more extinctions before the Earth is wiped out by an expanding sun a billion years from now? I would say 100%. Of course.
And the nukes will probably be the cause of the next one.
Why am I reminding readers of this history as part of the Lenten series?
Because this is where science and religion intersect, rather than collide. It is beyond our ability to comprehend. This dilemma is one of the primary reasons that religion appeared on the planet Earth and religious thought and faith have evolved over thousands of years. True understanding of the absolute meaning, however, remains a mystery. We grasp at straws. Religious faith is one straw.
We Homo sapiens are fundamentally a religious species. We ask questions. We look for answers. And the myths of creation (part of most religious traditions) are one straw we hold onto for answers. But absolute Truth? Who is to say?
A little humility is in order, if you ask me.
Along with thanksgiving that we humans are still here on this magnificent planet and have not done ourselves in yet.